Everyone agrees that Frankie Vaughan was one of the nicest people in show business. He was thoughtful and considerable, steadfast in his dedication tohis wife and family, and totally devoted to working for charitable causes. Jim Finn tells his story well in this compact paperback but the problem (though Finn would not see it as such) is that Frankie was just too nice. His essential goodness shines through on every page and you long for something at least a little salacious. For example, Frankie Vaughan turned down Marilyn Monroe while making the film, Let’s Make Love, in 1960. I’m sure this is true, but he wouldn’t have been human if he hadn’t wrestled with her offer.

The book benefits from being written by a fellow Scouser. Jim Finn became entranced by Frankie Vaughan in 1957 when he saw the film set in Liverpool, These Dangerous Years, and he says, “my admiration has never diminished.”